Vulnerability Database

328,409

Total vulnerabilities in the database

OpenClaw vulnerable to arbitrary file read via $include directive

Vulnerability

Path traversal in config $include resolution allowed arbitrary local file reads outside the config directory boundary (CWE-22).

Attack Vectors

  1. If an attacker can modify OpenClaw config, they can set $include to absolute paths (for example /etc/passwd) and read files accessible to the OpenClaw process.
  2. If an attacker can modify OpenClaw config, they can use traversal paths (for example ../../...) to escape the config directory.
  3. If an attacker can create symlinks inside the config directory, they can point includes to external files unless real-path checks are enforced.
  4. Impact scope is bounded by the file permissions of the OpenClaw runtime user; this is not an unauthenticated remote-only vector by itself.

Impact

A successful exploit can expose local secrets and credentials readable by the OpenClaw process user, including API keys and private config material.

Affected Packages / Versions

  • Package: openclaw (npm)
  • Vulnerable versions: <=2026.2.15
  • Patched versions: >=2026.2.17

Fix Commit(s)

  • d1c00dbb7c64a39e205464dae7f2a068420e91c1

Release Process Note

Patched version is pre-set to 2026.2.17. Once npm release 2026.2.17 is available, this advisory is ready to publish.

OpenClaw thanks @aether-ai-agent for reporting.

No technical information available.

Frequently Asked Questions

A security vulnerability is a weakness in software, hardware, or configuration that can be exploited to compromise confidentiality, integrity, or availability. Many vulnerabilities are tracked as CVEs (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures), which provide a standardized identifier so teams can coordinate patching, mitigation, and risk assessment across tools and vendors.

CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) estimates technical severity, but it doesn't automatically equal business risk. Prioritize using context like internet exposure, affected asset criticality, known exploitation (proof-of-concept or in-the-wild), and whether compensating controls exist. A "Medium" CVSS on an exposed, production system can be more urgent than a "Critical" on an isolated, non-production host.

A vulnerability is the underlying weakness. An exploit is the method or code used to take advantage of it. A zero-day is a vulnerability that is unknown to the vendor or has no publicly available fix when attackers begin using it. In practice, risk increases sharply when exploitation becomes reliable or widespread.

Recurring findings usually come from incomplete Asset Discovery, inconsistent patch management, inherited images, and configuration drift. In modern environments, you also need to watch the software supply chain: dependencies, containers, build pipelines, and third-party services can reintroduce the same weakness even after you patch a single host. Unknown or unmanaged assets (often called Shadow IT) are a common reason the same issues resurface.

Use a simple, repeatable triage model: focus first on externally exposed assets, high-value systems (identity, VPN, email, production), vulnerabilities with known exploits, and issues that enable remote code execution or privilege escalation. Then enforce patch SLAs and track progress using consistent metrics so remediation is steady, not reactive.

SynScan combines attack surface monitoring and continuous security auditing to keep your inventory current, flag high-impact vulnerabilities early, and help you turn raw findings into a practical remediation plan.